Acetylene-generator



A, F. JENKINS ACETYLENE GENERATOR.

APPL-HIATION FILED APR. 17, 1918.

1,304,686. Patented May 27, 1919.

ALEXANDER F. JENKINS, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

ACE'IYLENE- GENERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2'7, 1919.

Application filed April 17, 1918. Serial No. 229,108.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALEXANDER F. JEN- KINS, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the city of Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented, certain new and useful Improvements in Acetylene.- Generators, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an acetylene generating apparatus of the type in which there is a water tank with a submerged inverted drum containing carbid, the water being excluded from the drum in the initial condition of the apparatus by the impounded air. Generation begins when the delivery valve is opened and some of the air released, permitting the water to rise until it comes in contact with the carbid. This water combines with the carbid, generating gas which further eXpels the air from the drum. After generation is started, the water level in the drum and the rate of consumption of the carbid are determined by the relation between the rate of generation and the rate of consumption.

To control the rate of generation and make it correspond to the rate of consumption so that there will be no waste of gas, no shortage at any time and hence no undue variation of pressure, the means for holding and supporting the carbid is most carefully designed and arranged, as described in my co-pending application Serial No. 184,195, filed August 3, 1917. With the rate of generation thus controlled, the pressure of delivery is dependent upon the head or Water pressure at the bottom level of the gas in the drum. This level of course rises as the carbid is consumed but the carbid holders described in my co-pending application have been carefully designed to keep the rate of generation proportionate to the rate of consumption in spite of this change of head known to correspond to the consumption or generation of gas. In order that the logical benefit in the way of uniformity of generation. and pressure may result from the approved and carefully calculated arrangement of the parts, it is of course necessary that the drum be located during generation at a lmown, constant and predetermined depth in the tank so that the depth of the water and hence, the pressure, will be that for which the apparatus is designed.

The drum is connected for delivery of the gas bytelescoped and water-sealed pipes so that it may be conveniently removed for recharging. Also, it is free to move or float up and down and is buoyant to a variable degree so that it may take almost any position unless fastened. Various fastening devices have been used but with these it is as easy to lock and secure the drum atone level as another and while the apparatus is designed to operate with the drum at a single predetermined level, opinions of operatives as to its proper location are sure to differ with the result that the apparatus'may not work at full efliciency. The drum must be locked in a predetermined position near the bottom of the tank, which rendersthe ordinary well-known types of fastening useless as the majority of operators would not care to thrust their hands down into. the water to lock the drum. 7

The object of my invention is to produce a lock for the drum of an acetylene generator of such a nature that the latter is held at a definite predetermined depth or level in the tank, the lock being positive and conveniently operated from the top of the tank to lock and release the drum, without permitting any adjustment or change of level of the drum in the tank unless by complete disorganization, destruction or removal of the locking apparatus. 7 Also, the device serves as a signal to show when the drum is left free.

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated an acetylene generator provided with a locking device constructed in accordance with the preferred form of my invention.

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the generator with the lock;

Fig. 2 is a plan; and

Fig. 3 is a detail view.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, I have shown a water tank-1, a submerged drum-2 with a carbid holder or rack?) arranged to give a rate of generation uniformly related to the rate of consumption as already described in the co-pending application cited. At the bottom of the tank is a washer 4 from which washer two pipes. 6, 7,

lead to the top of the tank, being horizontal near the washer from which they lead to the sides of the tank and then upward in a vertical direction to the top of the tank, the horizontal portions serving as supports for the drum. Leading upward from the top of the drum is an upright pipe 8 of suflicie'nt diameter to receive and inclose the pipe 6. This pipe 8 is turned or goose-necked above the level of the top of the tank, leading back downward vertically to a point near the bottom of the drum and inclosing the pipe 6, giving the suitable Water-sealed and telescoped connection common to such apparatus. The delivery pipe 10 similarly receives and telescopes the pipe 7 l/Vith the telescoped connection 6, 8, 9, the drum 2 is, as already pointed out, free to move up and down unless otherwise fastened, and fastening means of some sort has been provided but such fastening means have been inadequate, not serving to position the drum and not necessarily positive. The applicant has devised a positioning as Well as a fastening device which is foolproof in that when locked the drum cannot be otherwise than forced down against its support, determining positively the pressure at each stage of operation, referring to the consumption of carbid. Also, the fastening is such that the drum cannot be locked with out being locked securely and when the drum is unlocked, this fact becomes apparent at a glance because under these circumstances the tail of the locking lever projects well above the tank.

The fastening consists of an angular or hell crank lever 12 pivoted at 13 on the inside of the tank near the vertex of the angle, having one arm 1i swinging upward from a position nearly horizontal in which it engages the top edge of the tank 1 or any suitable stop, and a depending arm 15 preferably turned horizontally at the bottom to form a flat foot 16. l/Vhen the arm l-l rests on the tank or support, the depending arm 15 is nearly vertical and its lower end, i. 6., the foot 16 takes a bearing downwardly against the top surface of the drum or some suitable point of engagement thereon. When the tail 1 1 of the bell crank lever is lifted from its position against the stop, the foot 16 swings to the left, as viewed in Fig. 1, so that it is out of registration with the top of the drum when the latter may be re moved, the carbid container taken out, emptied, refilled and replaced, the drum being likewise replaced and locked by merely pressing down on the tail 1% of the bell crank lever. When thus locked, the drum is positioned and held positively as with the depending arm 15 near the vertical, there is no tendency for it to slip either way to release the tank, whatever the upward thrust. If, by inadvertence or otherwise, the drum be left unlocked, the lever arm or tail 1% would be in its upper position, acting as a semaphore to call attention to the fact.

I have thus described my invention speoifically and in detail in order that its nature and operation may be fully understood; however, the specific terms herein are used in their descriptive rather than in their limiting sense and the scope of the invention is defined in the claims.

I claim 1. In an acetylene generator, in combination, a tank containing Water, a drum therein, a fastener for the drum consisting of a bell-crank lever pivoted on the tank and having a depending arm with a projecting foot which, when the arm is near the vertical position, engages the drum from above.

2. In an acetylene generator, in combina tion, a drum, a support fort-he drum, a bellcrank lever pivoted on the tank near the top having a depending arm with a projecting foot which, when the arm is near thevcrtical position, engages the top of the drum, holding it in contact with its support, the other arm of the bell-crank in this position of the apparatus being nearly horizontal, said arm being lifted in the operation of the device to swing the foot out of the path of the drum.

3. In an acetylene gene 'ator, in combination, a submerged drum, a support for the drum, a bell-crank lever pivoted above the drum, having a depending arm and an offset portion at the foot which, when said arm is near the vertical position, engages the top of the drum, holding it in contact with its support, and an upwardly disposed stop for the other arm of the lever, the latter arm in this position of the apparatus resting on the stop so that it swings upward to movethe depending foot outof engagement with the drum and out of the path followed by the drum when it is removed.

4. In an acetylene generator, a submerged drum, a fastener for the drum consisting of a lever pivoted above the drum and having a depending arm with a projecting foot which, when the arm is near vertical position, engages the drum from above, the lever swinging about its pivot to move the foot into and out of the path of the drum, the lever having a second arm projecting beyond the pivot above the liquid, and a stop to be en gaged by saidsecond arm to hold the lever in locking position.

5. In an acetylene generator, a submerged drum, a fastener for the drum onsisting of a pivoted lever with an arm projecting above the liquid, a stop for said lever, the lever having a depending arm which engages the drum from above when the saidlever is in contact with the stop.

Signed by me at Baltimore, this 8th day of April, 1918.

ALEXANDER F. JENKINS.

Witnesses:

THEO. M. THOMPSON, S. H. WALKER.

Maryland,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

